Pirates free Spanish boat, crew

MADRID, Spain (CNN) — The crew of a Spanish fishing boat seized by pirates last week off the coast of Somalia has been freed, officials said Saturday, and the boat was being escorted to the Seychelles Islands.

The Playa de Bakio is headed for the Seychelles under escort, a Spanish official says.

Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, deputy prime minister of Spain, said in a news conference that all 26 crew members of the Playa de Bakio are being brought to safety.

She said the tuna boat “has been liberated” and was navigating on its own, headed toward the Seychelles escorted by a Spanish naval frigate. The crew, de la Vega said, is in “perfect condition.”

The boat was seized Sunday. On Monday, Spanish state radio RNE reported the pirates had demanded a ransom payment for the release of the crew.

Asked on Saturday whether a ransom was paid, de la Vega said, “I can’t give you details.” But she said the “kidnappers” abandoned the boat, allowing it to sail away with the frigate.